


f i n e

by SomeRainMustFall



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [3]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Concussions, Confusion, Fainting, Gen, Head Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:20:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23189869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeRainMustFall/pseuds/SomeRainMustFall
Summary: Malcolm's not really all that 'fine' or 'good'. It's not entirely because of the concussion.Or, Malcolm faints into Gil's arms. It's what we deserve.×Bad Things Happen Bingo 'fainting' square.
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664860
Comments: 41
Kudos: 263





	f i n e

**Author's Note:**

> me @ the writers while they blabber about making Eve/Malcolm a thing again: "Can I please get a fainting scene? Can I PLEASE get a FAINTING SCENE!?"

“He’s gotta be okay.”

It’s what Dani is murmuring maybe to herself, as she sides Gil into the old warehouse. Tires screech in the near distance, and they pick up their pace. Gil’s got a pit of cold anxiety deep in his belly, because nothing can ever just go _right_ when it comes to Malcolm, and he clears the corners before entering. 

“Bright!” he shouts, “You okay?”

Malcolm looks at him and is _laughing._ His hair is out of place, and his eyes are only half open, but he’s goddamn _laughing_ as he says, “Fine! Good! Thanks!” as if Gil had asked him how his day was instead of if he was _dying_ or not.

Gil stares at him, slowly putting down his gun as his eyes slide over to the three dead bodies laying out beside an overturned chair, and Dani comes closer and breathlessly demands, “What happened?”

Malcolm stares at them, a dazed little smile on his lips, and doesn’t say a thing. Instead it’s Vijay who speaks, clapping Malcolm on the shoulder and making him stagger. 

“We happened!” he says, proudly. “The Corner Table Boys! The Bad Seeds!” 

Malcolm giggles again, quieter, and breathes harder, swaying a little. Vijay turns to him, suddenly solemn, and asks, “I’m not under arrest, am I?”

Malcolm looks at him, and still doesn’t speak. He shakes his head, and then reaches up and gingerly touches the back of it.

“No,” Gil says, holstering his gun again and slowly approaching them. “You’re not. But you’re not on my damn good side. Bright? What’s wrong?” 

Again, Malcolm staggers. He smiles, much weaker. 

“Gil,” he says, finally pulling his hand back to look at the specks of red coating his fingers. 

“Jesus,” Gil murmurs, and Vijay grabs onto Malcolm’s arm as he tilts back.

“What happened?” Vijay asks, and Malcolm blinks, far too slowly. 

“Okay,” he says, and then his eyes roll back and he pitches forward against Gil. Gil easily catches him, arms under Malcolm’s, and Vijay tries to help, fisting his suit to try and alleviate some of his weight from Gil. 

Gil cups the back of Malcolm’s head, and it’s damp with blood. Vijay has a better look at the wound, and he’s grimacing in empathy. 

“Bright?” Gil whispers, and Malcolm doesn’t make a sound. “Awh, hell, Dani, call a bus! He’s out cold.” 

“I didn’t—I didn’t have a choice,” Vijay says. “I had to leave. They made me leave. He had a plan, _we_ had a plan, I—”

“None of this would have happened if you hadn’t tried to make a deal,” Gil hisses, lowering Bright to the floor on his back, cradling his head with a hand so it doesn't touch. There’s a bruising welt across his face where he was clearly struck, and every moment new anger just keeps bubbling back to the surface. He strokes Malcolm’s cheek, gently as he can, and tucks his hair back before glaring up at Vijay. 

“What were you _thinking?”_

“I came back for him,” Vijay says. “He’s my friend.”

“You almost got your friend killed.”

“I told him not to come in the first place! He wouldn’t listen!”

“I believe that,” Dani grumbles, and Vijay gestures at her. 

“Thank you!”

Dani shoots him the dirtiest glare she can manage. “Don’t thank me. I don’t like you!”

Vijay holds his hand up like she pointed her gun at him. Maybe she _should._

“Right! You’re right, okay, yeah, that’s...fine.”

Dani scoffs. “None of this is fine! Does he look—” 

Malcolm whimpers softly, and Gil holds a hand up to silence them both, surprised when it works. “Kid?”

Malcolm’s eyes flutter for a moment, then open a bit. He looks up at Gil, and then smiles a bit. 

“My head hurts,” he says, and Gil adjusts his hold. 

“I know, kid. Dani, how long?”

“Four minutes,” she replies, and Malcolm looks around. 

“Dani?” he asks, and sighs. “Your voice is…nice.”

“What?”

“He’s not wrong,” Vijay says quietly, and Dani looks at him.

“This close. _This close._ I swear I’ll shoot you.”

“Sorry, I—yeah. I’ll shut up now.”

“‘at’d be nice,” Malcolm mumbles, and Dani snickers.

“We’re friends!” Vijay protests.

“Headache,” Malcolm says, closing his eyes again. “Friend.” 

Vijay smiles at that, and agreeably goes quiet. 

“You’re gonna be just fine, kid,” Gil says, cupping Malcolm’s cheek with his other hand. “Just relax, okay? You know where you are? Can you stay awake?”

Malcolm blinks hard, and then looks at him with a startling amount of clarity in his previously glazed-over eyes.

“Wish I saw you instead,” he says, and Gil frowns.

“What now? Saw me? When?”

“You’d be nice,” Malcolm goes on, like Gil never spoke at all. “Wouldn’t you? I don’t...don’t wanna see him anymore.”

“Who?” 

Malcolm’s suddenly tearful, and Gil doesn’t understand. He doesn’t, but he leans over, bringing Malcolm into the best hug he can without moving him very much. Malcolm sighs against his ear.

“You’re gonna be okay, kid,” he says. It's not deadly. He checks his hand, and the bleeding's stopped. A quick scan to make sure and perhaps a painkiller, and the kid's gonna be back on his ass about the next case in no time.

"I dunno anymore." Malcolm's voice is so soft, Gil nearly doesn't hear it. 

"Huh? You don't know what?"

Malcolm smiles at him, but it doesn't reach his eyes. 

In the background, they hear the ambulance's sirens.


End file.
